Modern aircraft conventionally have a pressurized cabin, the internal pressure of which is maintained, while the aircraft is flying, at a raised pressure level compared to the ambient pressure, i.e. the reduced atmospheric pressure at high altitudes, by means of an air conditioning system that is supplied for example with air drawn off from the engine(s). In order to regulate the cabin pressure, cabin air may be released into the atmosphere through outlet valves. In general, the pressure in the interior of the cabin of an aircraft while the aircraft is flying, i.e. when the aircraft is situated at cruising altitude, usually corresponds approximately to atmospheric pressure at an altitude of 8000 ft. (ca. 2400 m).
The pressurized cabin is customarily subdivided by dividing walls and/or intermediate floors into mutually separate areas, such as for example cockpit, passenger cabin, crew rest compartment, top deck, main deck or cargo compartments. In the event of a pressure drop (decompression) in one aircraft area, for example as a result of damage to the pressurized cabin or failure of an outlet valve, a pressure difference arises between the aircraft area affected by the pressure drop and the areas of the aircraft that are adjacent to this aircraft area. This pressure difference may lead to damage of the primary structure of the aircraft and/or of the dividing walls and intermediate floors that separate the decompressed aircraft area from the areas of the aircraft that are adjacent to this aircraft area. In order to avert the potentially serious consequences of such damage, it is therefore necessary in the event of decompression to ensure a rapid pressure compensation between the aircraft area affected by the pressure drop and the areas of the aircraft that are adjacent to this aircraft area.
For this reason, in dividing walls and/or intermediate floors decompression devices are provided, which for example, as described in DE 37 15 328 C1, comprise a decompression frame as well as a decompression panel accommodated in the decompression frame. The decompression panel is mounted in the decompression frame by means of leaf springs that have predetermined breaking points. If a predetermined differential pressure acts upon the decompression panel, the leaf springs break in the region of the predetermined breaking points and the decompression panel releases a pressure compensation opening in the dividing wall and/or intermediate floor that is delimited by the decompression frame.
Furthermore, from the non-prior publication DE 10 2009 012 015 a decompression device is known, which is integrated into an aircraft cabin trim panel and has a flap that is attached by a hinge- or bearing element to a decompression frame provided with a grating. If in a decompression situation a predetermined pressure difference acts upon the flap of the decompression device, the flap releases a pressure compensation opening between an area of the aircraft cabin affected by the decompression and an area delimited by the cabin trim panel and an aircraft skin.